Improvement in hand corn-planters



strut dijlyiltr.

AUGUSTUS o. L. DAVIS, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Letters Imam No. 103,153, dated May 17, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND CORN-PLAN'IERS.

The Schedule referred to "in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

, To allwhomit'mdyconccrn z V Be it known that I, Aueus'rus (l. L. Davs, of St. Louis," in the county of St. EO'HlS and in the State ofMissouri, have inventedcertain new and iiseful Improvements inHand'GormPlanters; and do hereby declare'that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanyiug drawing making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective vi'ewof my improved device, with a portionofone side of the casing-broken away, so as to show thcinteriorarrangement;

Figure'2 is a' front elevation of; the plunger-and valve frame Figure 3is a side elevatidn of the same, with one of its sides broken away, soas to show the interior face of one of the valves; 1

Figures 4 and 5 are a front and a side elevation, 'respectitr'ely, ofthe distributing-block and retainingsprings; and

Figure '6 is a plan 'viewof the lower end of the same. l

" Letters of like name andkind refer to like parts in I each of thefigures.

My invention relates to a classof corn-planters designed for handoperation; and

It consists in the peculiar construction of the. dropping and plantingdevices, as is hereinafter set forth;

In the annexed drawing--- 7 i A represents a square wooden box, having atransverse diameter of about-five inches, and a length of, abouteighteen inches,within which is loosely fitted a slide, composed oftwo'parallel strips of board B,

havinga width equal to the inner diameter of said "box, and a'lengtlrabout one-third greater than the length of thes'ame. The upperends of the slide-boards areconnected together by means of a block, 0,having upon one end thereof a handle, 0, for raisipg and lowering saidslide, said blocks ha'ving a'breadth suflicient to cause said slide tojust fill the space between the sides of the box A; v

Secured within the lower end of the box A is a block, D, the lower endof which is divided into four branches (1 by two V-shaped grooves in,extending transversely across the center of the same at a right anglewith each other.

A right-angled groove, d, out in each corner of thethe block D, extendsupward and inward to the top of said block, upon which issecuredzasecond -shaped block, E, provided with two half-round grooves euponeaclrof its sloping faces. a

The lower ends of the 'slide-boards'B are bifurcated so as to pass intoand fill the grooves d when said slide isprssed downward, to allow ofwhich operation the thicknessof the block Eis suflicient to just fillthe space between said boards, leaving a space between each of its sidesand the sides of the box, to permit said boards to pass. I

The inner face of each slide-hoard B, at and for some distance aboveitslower end, is covered with a metal plate, 11, in and through which,immediately .above the divided'ends d, are provided two openings E,which incline downward, and are each capable of containiug'about fourgrains of corn.

'- If, now,t-he slide be placed within the box, the vacant .space' inthe upper part of the same filled with corn,

and said slide raised and lowered, it will be found that whenever theopenings F are brought above thelower end of the block E, they will befilled by the corn passing down the grooves e, andupon depressing saidslide, said .corn-will be dropped into the grooves or channeled, andthrough them into'the ground.

In order that the downward thrust of the slide may be caused to imbedthe corn'firrnly in the gronnd,a

spring, H, corresponding in shape therewith, 'is secured at one endto't-he'upper end of each groove, and

from thence curves downward and outward, so that its lower end willpressagainst the side ofthe box, and thus close the passage forined'by saidgroove.

As thus arranged, upon depressing the slide the metal face I), upon itslower end I), will press the spring inward sufiicientlyto permit saidends to pass; but, as said's prings bear firmly against said metal face,they will catch and retain the-corn brought down in and dropped from theopenings 1*.

After the withdrawal of .the plunger orslide, the corn held by thesprings will pass beneath the ends, which, upon their return, will forcesaid corn downward and firmly imbed it-iu the ground.

By this arrangement it will be'seen that each down ward thrust of theplunger forces the corn held by the Springs into the ground, anddeposits a like quantity upon said'springs for the next operation, whileeach withdrawal of said plunger permits the corn held by said springstopass beneath the ends 71', and at the upon the handle, the corn beneaththe plunger is forced into the ground at four points.

Uponraising the machine, the weight of the hopper causes it to drop downupon the plunger, recharge the cavities with fresh corn, and allow thatjust dropped from said cavities to pass beneath the plunger.

The especial advantages obtained by this device are certainty andthoroughness. of operation, combined with extreme simplicity anddurability of parts. c

Having thus fully set fortlr the nature and merits of my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The slide or plunger, consisting of the boards B, secured together bymeans of the block 0, and provided with the divided ends I) and openingsor cavities F, in combination with the distributing-block D,substantially as shown and for the purpose specified.

Also, the distributing-block I), provided with the Witnesses:

F. (JOMEREE, WM. W. Mosrme.

